SAN DIEGO, March 23, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- SmartDrive Systems, a leader in driving performance solutions that reduce collisions and improve fuel efficiency, today announced that Nussbaum Transportation Services (Nussbaum) has achieved remarkable operational improvements using SmartDrive SmartIQ® Transportation Intelligence Suite. Nussbaum adopted the SmartIQ solution to leverage the advanced capabilities of the transportation intelligence suite to optimize fleet operations in a variety of areas. Results have included no preventable Department of Transportation (DOT)-recordable accidents in the first six months of implementation, significant improvement in Compliance Safety Accountability (CSA) scores, and reduced fuel usage and insurance costs.

Following a competitive assessment of video safety solutions, leading truckload carrier Nussbaum first adopted SmartDrive across its fleet of 315 trucks in 2015. Driven by a desire to further reduce fuel consumption fleet wide, Nussbaum subsequently incorporated SmartIQ Streams, which are feeds of driver, vehicle and driving performance data collected by the SmartDrive video analytics platform, and can be integrated into third-party intelligence solutions. Nussbaum leverages SmartIQ Streams in concert with the company's own custom-built software to gain greater visibility into the fleet's fuel consumption, and identify opportunities to increase efficiency. SmartDrive goes beyond video safety to deliver transportation intelligence built on a comprehensive, analytics platform—along with the customer support, analytical tools and intelligence to mine the data.

As a result, Nussbaum has improved its CSA Behavior Analysis and Safety Improvement Category (BASIC) score by nearly 73 percent in the "crash indicator" category; its score in the "unsafe driving" category is the lowest it has been in two years. Nussbaum has also improved its SmartDrive Safety Score by more than 40 percent since launching SmartIQ.

"Our industry is good at recognizing and measuring safety results, but we've never had a way to measure the skills that lead to those results," commented Jeremy Stickling, director of human resources and safety at Nussbaum. "In our fleet, it was time to take video safety to the next level, and SmartDrive offered the right set of tools to support our efforts. SmartIQ is the only solution that delivers granular data; incorporates a variety of safety, fuel and operational data; and makes it easy to incorporate resulting insights into our business. SmartDrive is writing the future of video safety by providing insight into the behavior and skills that allow us to know what's going to happen before it occurs and make severe crashes less likely. The results prove it."

Nussbaum's innovative approach to driver performance management relies on the SmartDrive solution to aggregate real-time data from the engine control module (ECM) with following distance observations to score drivers on smooth driving, speed and space management, and throttle usage. As Nussbaum's drivers began engaging with the SmartDrive program, their driving improved, and overall fleet metrics—across fuel consumption, safety and other areas—were measurably enhanced. Additional advantages have included a reduction in the fleet's insurance premiums, demonstrating that the platform enhances not only safety and fuel economy, but also offers holistic improvements across the business.

"Transparency and open communication are who we are as an organization and we knew both would be key to successful program rollout. We personally called every driver and told them about the SmartDrive program," explained Stickling. "After announcing the program through individual phone calls and written communications, we then spoke with each driver again when the system was being installed on his truck. We recognized there might be fears about having an inward-facing camera, but we knew that if we communicated the program correctly and used it as a teaching tool, the rollout would be a success."

Mission accomplished. Only one driver, out of more than 300, elected not to participate. Nussbaum drivers now embrace the program, with many of them talking about their own skills and working to improve them.

"The future of transportation innovation is being driven by companies like Nussbaum that understand that it's not about big data—it's about big results made possible by actionable information. It's no wonder Nussbaum received CCJ's Innovator of the Year Award," commented Steve Mitgang, CEO of SmartDrive. "Nussbaum is among a very small class of fleets using transportation intelligence to fuel their success. We're thrilled to collaborate with Jeremy and his team to enhance fleet wide visibility to risk, better understand their drivers and implement proactive strategies to increase efficiencies across the business."

"SmartDrive was the first video-based safety company to pull data off the ECM and combine it with G-Force and video safety data. We were able to use this combined dataset not only to improve safety within our fleet, but also to significantly lower fuel usage and maintenance costs," Stickling continued. "With SmartDrive, we can now help our drivers focus on improving driving skills, including space and speed management. SmartIQ has given us insight never before possible, while allowing us to run a safe, efficient and productive fleet."

Launched in early 2016 and recognized as the first and only comprehensive transportation intelligence suite available to commercial fleets, SmartIQ is a distinct solution that links driver behavioral data to the enormous amount of data sourced from a multitude of separate vehicle systems, manages that data efficiently, and analyzes it at scale and in real-time. SmartIQ is a unique platform that offers actionable operational metrics, management KPIs, reports and dashboards for managers and interactive visualizations for advanced analysis. While drivers present the single largest opportunity to reduce avoidable fleet costs, measuring their performance previously relied on vehicle data and historical driver information that are subject to interpretation and often leave more questions than answers.

Stickling will discuss the transformative value of transportation intelligence to Nussbaum during a webinar on Thursday, April 13 at 11:00 a.m. PT. For more information and to register, please click here.

About SmartDrive SystemsSmartDrive Systems, the recipient of Frost & Sullivan's Customer Value Leadership Award for Video Safety Solutions, gives fleets and drivers unprecedented driving performance insight and analysis, helping save fuel, expenses and lives. Its video analysis, predictive analytics and personalized performance program help fleets improve driving skills, lower operating costs and deliver significant ROI. With an easy-to-use managed service, fleets and drivers can access and self-manage driving performance anytime, anywhere. The company, which is ranked as one of the fastest growing companies by Deloitte's Technology Fast 500™, has compiled the world's largest storehouse of more than 180 million analyzed risky-driving events. SmartDrive Systems is based in San Diego, and employs over 500 people worldwide.